Frowning, King looked at the dragonling, who stuck his tongue out at him in what Mikael had heard was called a raspberry.
Avery let out a burst of laughter, the sound a balm to his soul.
“I’m trying to keep the city from falling apart. I don’t have time for a pet.” King spoke more to the dragonling than them.
“You can stay if you want, sweet boy,” Avery cooed, scratching behind his ear.
Now the little dragon looked up at her, that adoration directed her way.
The most primal part of Mikael wanted to snarl at the little thing, then felt like an “utter dick,” to quote Riel. He could not be jealous of a dragonling getting Avery’s affection.
“So you’ll do it?” King was already heading for the gate that led to the front yard.
“Of course—” Avery broke off as the little dragon trailed after him, chirping animatedly.
King turned around and held his hands up. “No, you stay here.” He pointed at Avery and Mikael as if the beast could understand.
Maybe he did, because the dragonling looked at them, then at King, then he jumped right over King, flapping his wings quickly as he sailed over the gate onto the other side of the yard. That dragonling had made his decision.
“Pretty sure he’s claimed you,” Avery called out. “And now you need to name him.”
King looked…baffled, but didn’t argue.
As the two left, Avery let out a happy sigh. “Can you imagine how cute it would be to have a little dragon for a pet? King said they found more than one empty shell, right?”
Mikael nodded and headed up the steps of the back patio.
Avery joined him, sitting on one of the lounge chairs that overlooked the backyard with its pretty lights and hanging plants she’d potted herself. There were touches of her everywhere here, from the bright colors and carefully tended roses and geraniums.
In that moment he wished he had the right to pull her into his lap, to nuzzle his nose along her neck and inhale deeply. To rake his teeth against her sensitive skin as he slid his hand down the front of her pants and— He cut the thought off and rolled his neck. No. “He was quite adorable.”
“That’s high praise coming from you.” She gave him another one of those soft grins and stretched her legs out.
You could easily give her a baby dragon, his inner beast reminded him. Just get her pregnant.
He bit back another groan. His dragon was such an asshole. “You thirsty?” He needed space for a few minutes, just to breathe in air that wasn’t laced with her sunshine and perfection.
“Yes, thanks.” Avery gave him a tired smile and leaned her head back. “Hot tea, please. I don’t care what flavor.”
She had many so he picked the raspberry-scented one he knew she usually chose. Not long after, Mikael stepped outside to find Avery dozing on the lounge chair.
He wasn’t surprised since it had been a long day for her. As he’d done a few times before, he scooped her up into his arms—even though it was torture to hold her so close—and carried her inside. She stirred slightly, but burrowed into him as she mumbled something under her breath he couldn’t make out.
On the stairs he passed Ivyn, his youngest brother, but he ignored the pointed look Ivyn gave him and continued to the second floor. Even if Mikael hadn’t known where her room was—which he definitely did—he would be able to follow her scent easily.
Perfection on a summer day.
She mumbled something under her breath, curling into him with complete trust. Her eyelids fluttered but she didn’t open them, just murmured something again, her nose scrunching up in what was definitely an adorable way. Because Avery was adorable—he would always use that word for her. Along with kind, beautiful, his.
Her bed was neatly made, no surprise. With one hand he tugged the comforter down and eased her against her pillow. She automatically turned onto her side and he pulled the covers up to her shoulders. Gently he pulled the tie from her curly, chocolate brown hair so that it fell all around her head and shoulders. She’d once told him that if she slept with the ties in, they gave her a headache.
What he wouldn’t give to run his hands through it, to cup the back of her head as he took her mouth with his. For a long moment he watched her, and reached his hand out to brush her hair out of her face.
But he drew his hand back. Touching her was a special brand of torture—and he had actually been tortured. But this was different, worse. Because she wasn’t his. And he didn’t have the right to touch her anyway.
Instead of leaving her tie on the nightstand, he tucked it into his pocket. Then he snagged a little dragonfly hair clip and added that as well. When he stepped out into the hallway, he found Ivyn standing there leaning against the doorway two bedrooms down.
“What?” The want and need he’d buried for Avery bubbled up inside him in the form of anger at his brother. His nosy fucking brother.
Ivyn simply lifted a shoulder. “What are you doing with her?”
“What does it look like?” And he didn’t answer to his younger brother.
“Like you’re trying to hurt yourself.” Now there was…a touch of pity in his brother’s normally hard gaze.
Annoyed, wanting to punch something now, Mikael turned away and stalked to his own room. His brother was right about hurting himself—maybe he deserved it.
If he’d been home when his family had been attacked, slayed…they might all be alive now.
Chapter 5
With her hard hat and boots on, Avery ducked into the third floor of the condo complex where they were having an issue with some of the plumbing.
There was a shortage of supplies—even though witches could duplicate some things that they needed. So could some half-demons, she’d been told, which was fascinating.
But her construction crews couldn’t depend on them for everything. Some things had to be manufactured to specification.
“Look, boss,” a big bear shifter said, one meaty hand on his hip as he pointed at the open, unfinished bathroom. “I can finish in here. And we have enough for the rest of this floor, but next week we’re going to be moving on to the fourth floor. We don’t have enough and I don’t know how we’re going to get what we need.” She knew Santiago, had known him before The Fall, as it was. He’d been in construction for probably longer than she’d been alive and he was damn good at what he did. She was glad King had put him on her crew.
“Let me worry about that. Just finish up everything you can, plumbing-wise, this week. If for some reason we stall on this job, we’ve got plenty to do at other jobs.”
He grinned, half saluting her. “Okay. I know you’ll come through. You always do.”
She certainly hoped so. She’d already let King know what her crew needed and he was going to reach out to Finn Stavros, the Alpha of the Southern Mississippi and Alabama area. There were a few warehouses in bigger cities like Biloxi and Mobile filled to the brim with stuff that had been untouched during the dragon attacks.
Finn and his pack had provided food and the ability to grow food to other areas with no strings attached, and she had a feeling that the Alpha of Biloxi, as he was commonly called, would give them what they needed with no strings attached either.